Ruling Left Front against banning Maoists in Bengal

Kolkata, June 22 (PTI) The ruling Left Front in India's
eastern state of West Bengal Monday said it was against
banning the Communist Party of India-Maoist and will counter
such outfits politically, days after Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee stated that his government will give a serious
thought to proscribing the Naxals.

"We have decided that such outfits, which follow
misguided politics, cannot be countered by banning them. It is
important to counter the activities of these outfits
politically," Left Front chairman Biman Bose said here.

He said that the fight of the Leftists against the
"misguided politics" of the Maoists was on. "We are opposing
the terrorist activities of the Maoists and that is why we are
attacked," he said in a statement.

Bose said it was a continuous political process to
"alienate" people from the "dangerous politics" pursued by the
Maoists. "This work has to be carried on," he said.

He, however, said that it was necessary to take
administrative steps to restore normal life of the people.

Bhattacharjee, after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday, had
stated that his government was considering banning the
CPI-Maoist after the Centre's suggestion in this regard
following the Naxal violence in Lalgarh.

"Home Minister Chidamabarm advised me to ban this
organisation. We have to give it a serious thought,"
Bhattacharjee had told reporters in New Delhi. "We have
started thinking what to do," he had said.

Chidambaram had earlier said that the state government
should ban the Maoists. "We think they (Maoists) should be
banned in West Bengal as in other states," he had said.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) and Forward Bloc, two
major Left Front (LF) constituents, also said that the problem
would not be solved by banning the Maoists.

CPI state council secretary Manju Kumar Majumdar said,
"We do not think a ban on them will solve the problem; it has
to be solved politically. There may be a dialogue with the
ultras, but before that they have to eschew the politics of
murder and anarchy."

Echoing his views, Forward Bloc secretary Ashok Ghose
said, "We have fundamental differences with the Maoists, but
they are not our class enemies. We are against imposing ban on
them. We want them to follow the democratic path and we are
totally against their politics of terrorism." PTI SUN
SCY
NNNN